The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Helianthus plant botanically known as Helianthus salicifolius and hereinafter referred to by the cultivar name ‘Autumn Gold’.
The new cultivar originated in a controlled breeding program in Guadalupe, Calif. during September 2009. The objective of the breeding program was the development of Helianthus cultivars that are early to flower and have compact habits.
The new Helianthus cultivar was the result of a self-pollination of ‘Low Down’, U.S. Plant Pat. No. 13,197, characterized by its single-type, bright yellow-colored inflorescences, medium green-colored foliage, and moderately vigorous, compact-mounded growth habit. The new cultivar was discovered and selected as a single flowering plant within the progeny of the above stated self-pollination during October 2010 in a controlled environment in Guadalupe, Calif.
Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar by terminal stem cuttings since October 2010 in Guadalupe, Calif. and Elburn, Ill. has demonstrated that the new cultivar reproduces true to type with all of the characteristics, as herein described, firmly fixed and retained through successive generations of such asexual propagation.